Trees for Troops Makes Delivery to Ft. Benning

ROTC students from Jackson High School load Christmas trees donated to the national Trees for Troops program by Georgia growers in 2006. (Georgia Farm Bureau)

The Trees for Troops program, sponsored by the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation and FedEx Corp., stopped at Ft. Benning on Monday, to deliver some 700 Christmas Trees to troops and military families.

The program is a part of a nationwide organization that provides transportation and logistical assistance for community and non-profit organizations, according to a statement by the company.

This year, more than 11,000 trees from 27 states are expected to be delivered to 25 military bases in the United States and overseas. In 2005, the program delivered more than 4,300 trees to bases across the United States.

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Christmas Trees are Aplenty

Many people will get their Christmas trees over Thanksgiving weekend. But, because of the drought, some are worried there won’t be enough healthy trees to go around.

But, neither the Grinch nor the drought will steal Christmas from Georgian’s this holiday season because most Christmas tree farms in the state are doing just fine.

Andy Kinsey and his brother own Kinsey Family Farm in Forsyth County. Kinsey said they’ll have over 2,500 Leland Cypress and Caroline Sapphire trees for sale, which are naturally drought resistant.

“In all honestly, they prefer a drought compared to a wet, wet summer. I mean, this is much better than a summer when we got 20 extra inches of rain, that is when you really see problems,” said Kinsey.

Kinsey said there won’t be a decrease in available trees until three years from now; when trees planted this year mature. He says he expects most of his trees to make it through, but if all else fails, he can always import trees from North Carolina.